


Dog Days of Summer

by jessoftheweirding



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: AU, Angst with a Happy Ending, Avengers Family, Awesome Jane Foster, BAMF Darcy Lewis, Darcy Lewis-centric, Darcy gets turned into a dog, Darcy is a cute puppy, Doggie!Darcy, F/M, Gen, How Do I Tag, I just got the plot bunny, It's her prompt, Jane Foster & Darcy Lewis Friendship, Light Angst, Loki is a dick, Magic, My First Work in This Fandom, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Work In Progress, amusewithaview, avengers fix it, eventually
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-06
Updated: 2015-04-06
Packaged: 2018-03-21 12:10:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3691791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessoftheweirding/pseuds/jessoftheweirding
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if SHIELD failed to completely protect Jane Foster when Loki came to Earth? What if he stopped in to see for himself the mortal who so enraptured Thor and was instead greeted by her erstwhile protector, Darcy Lewis? What if Loki then, being the scepter-controlled bastard that he was, decided to make the intern's exterior match her behavior? What could Jane do to stop him? And how the hell is she going to to turn Darcy back into a human? Also, what will Jane do with they wind up with the Avengers?</p><p>This is based on a prompt by amusewithaview. This will touch on the events of the Avengers, Thor 2, CAtWS, and possibly AoU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dog Days of Summer

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on a prompt on amusewithaview's tumblr (http://amusewithaview.tumblr.com/post/115591941390/imagine-if).
> 
> I blame her for finally pulling me out of lurker-dom and into posting for myself. SO, first time poster, please feel free to offer feedback of any kind! This is going to be at least a few chapters long and I'm looking forward to getting there.
> 
> If you're interested, you can find me on tumblr with the same name as here.
> 
> I don't own anything, just playing in the sandbox.

“Ugh,“ Jane said, squinting out into the summer sunlight that covers their research facility in Tromsø, “What _time_ is it? And why is it so _bright_?”

Darcy held in a sigh. Jane had been working nearly nonstop since arriving in Tromsø, trying to crack the secrets of the bridge between Asgard and Midgard. The diminutive astrophysicist claimed it was to further the scientific exploration of the human race, but Darcy knew that the real reason was so that Jane could meet a certain blonde Asgardian Prince again. And, Darcy assumed, to give him a piece of her mind. 

Hitching her multicolored satchel higher on her shoulder, Darcy took Jane's arm in hers and patted it gently. “Janey, it's bright because it's mid-day. You need some actual food and some vitamin D, so Doctor Darcy decrees that we go out for lunch today, rather than heating something up, as usual.”

As she spoke, Darcy cast a critical eye over her friend. Though she looked better in the natural sunlight, Jane was still far too pale and, if the rather roomy fit of her usual plaid shirt and worn jeans was any judge, had lost some weight again. 

_“I've got to take better care of her"_ , Darcy thought to herself. _“She's even more skybound than she was in Puente Antiguo.”_

Jane looked at her intern and crooked an eyebrow. “Doctor Darcy?”

Darcy's returning grin made her eyes dance as she wiggled the fingers of her free hand at the scientist. “Yup! Best intern in Tromsø.” 

Jane sighed, but gave in. “Oh, fine. Where exactly are you taking me?”

With a whoop, Darcy began dragging her friend down the street towards the cafe she'd discovered earlier that week. As they lost themselves in the crowd, neither woman noticed the plainclothes SHIELD agents step away from the lab and begin trailing their charges through the crowd.

_“Base, this is Field One. Doctor Foster and Ms. Lewis are heading into town.”_

_“You know the routine, Agent. Stay with them.”_

_“Copy that, Base. Field One out.”_

 

 

Darcy felt good. Not only had she succeeded in getting Jane to stay out of the lab for now 90 minutes and counting, but the astrophysicist had actually eaten a full lunch consisting of a large club sandwich and a bag of chips and was now making inroads on Darcy's chip bag. Considering that Jane was often so caught up with Science! that she practically lived on various flavors of PopTart. coffee, and the occasional piece of fruit, the fact that she had just eaten from multiple food groups made Darcy give herself a Science!Wrangler pat on the back. 

_"Not bad, not bad at all,"_ she thought smugly.

Since “Doctor Darcy” had also decreed a pause on all Science!related discussions for the duration of their lunch, both women were indulging in people watching. It was a habit that had started back in Puente Antiguo and was something they enjoyed whenever they found themselves at loose ends. 

“What 'bout 'er?” Jane asked through a mouthful of chips, indicating by jutting chin the plain-looking older woman sitting across from them who was absently stirring a bowl of soup while reading the local newspaper.

“Oh Janey,“ Darcy sighed, putting down her own sandwich. “You can take the scientist out of the lab...” Shaking her head, Darcy glanced at at woman in question and shrugged, a smirk dancing across her lips. “Her? Oh, she's scanning the classifieds for the latest coded message from her exotic foreign lover. They have to keep things secret; their families would never understand.”  


Jane snorted. “Seriously, Darcy?”

“What?” The young woman exclaimed, her eyes wide and innocent. “That was in a movie I saw once, so it's totally plausible.”

The doctor rolled her eyes. “Fine. Whatever.” Turning, she saw a younger dark-skinned man with his back to them talking on the phone. He'd entered the cafe while they were waiting for their orders. Eyeing him speculatively, she turned back to her intern. “I bet Mickey Smith back there is talking to his girlfriend, trying to convince her to go out for dinner instead of having chipped beef. Again.”

It was Darcy's turn to roll her eyes. “Ugh. That's boring. There's more to life than what's for dinner, even if it does come with it's own catchy soundtrack.” 

The astrophysicist didn't reply. Doctor Who aside, Jane missed most of Darcy's references but wasn't overly concerned since they were made by a woman who still called Jane's work “The Rainbow Bridge to Princely Booty”. Jane sniffed and, as the entrance bell jingled, glanced over to watch as a handsome, dark-haired man swathed in a dark green coat step into the cafe. “Well, what about him then?” She asked, fingers digging into the bottom of Darcy's bag of chips.

Since her back was to the door, Darcy had to turn to look. “Ooh, some eye candy! About time, too.” She drummed her fingers against her lip, considering. “Hmm. That's a pretty fancy coat; he looks like a businessman.” She thought some more as the man in question approached the counter and ordered quietly in unaccented Norwegian. “What if he's some kind of sciencey-business dude, like Tony Stark but, like, Scandinavian?” 

Jane stopped her digging for the last of the chips to glare at her intern. “Darcy Lewis, you take that back. We've got one Tony Stark and that's bad enough. Reed Richards is already too much like him, and a third Stark-alike would just... ugh. No." She shuddered. "No, we definitely do not need any more men like him.”

Darcy just raised her eyebrows in return. “Excuse me, Jane Foster, vendetta much? At least Stark is Iron Man so he can't be all bad.” She didn't know a lot about the billionaire, just that he, or more accurately, Pepper Potts was doing incredible things for green energy and Darcy was definitely a fan of that bit of woman power. Even if Ms. Potts wasn't specifically a Superhero(tm) , it was pretty obvious that she was the power behind the Iron Man throne.

Jane only sniffed in response.

During their mini quarrel, Mr. Not-Tony-Stark had stepped away from the counter to wait for his order and was now in earshot of their discussion. Despite the fact that they were speaking in English and he had just ordered in Norwegian, he turned to them, fine brows arched in surprise. 

“Please pardon my interruption, “ he began in a smooth English accent, “but did I hear you say Jane Foster?” 

Jane began to respond but Darcy beat her to it. Jane's research was still considered tin-foil crack by many scientists just because she hadn't been able to get a decent peer-review or been published in any of the better journals. _Yet._ Damn jack booted thugs and their NDAs.

Her face stretched in a bright smile, Darcy reached across the table, and thus Jane, to thrust her hand out to the man. “Hello, I'm Darcy. And you are...?”

He smiled thinly in response, and Darcy noted that it did not reach his slate blue eyes. This close, his skin, which had merely been pale from a distance, was practically translucent. He took her hand in his own and bowed over it, though his eyes lingered on Jane. “I'm such an _avid_ fan of your work, Dr. Foster. And you,“ his glance stole over Darcy, “must be her assistant. I've heard so many things about you both.” He straightened but did not release her hand, leaving Darcy still draped awkwardly across the table. “But, of course, I am getting ahead of myself. You may call me … Loki.”

Darcy snatched her hand back from his as if it burned her and rapidly began gathering up their lunch trash. 

“Oh no. No thank you, do not pass go, do not collect $200. Just no. Come on, Jane, we are leaving. Right now.” This was bad. This was really bad. This wasn't just some asshole scientist come to heckle Jane and call her a hack, this was the bastard who demolished Puente Antiguo just to get at Thor. Ever since the Destroyer had, well, destroyed, Darcy had read up on her Norse mythology and Loki Liesmith was a major player. A majorly bad apple who, even in myth, was compared to Thor and not to compare their heroic natures. And since Jane was Thor's... whatever, Darcy needed to get Jane out of here, pronto. Grabbing her overlarge bag, she started to slide out of the booth but was stopped by Loki holding out a long-fingered hand, palm out. As he did so, a wave of something flowed out from his hand, like a ripple on the water.

“Stop, “ he said simply, his gaze fixed on her. His pleasant expression morphed into smug condescension as he watched the intern realize that she was unable to move at all. She could, however, speak, and she did so with a sudden flurry of curses.

“-you miserable excuse for a toad! Let me go!” She finished, straining to move, to reach for the tazer hidden in her bag, to do anything, but couldn't. She could only watch helplessly as the Asgardian turned his focus to Jane. In her impotent fury Darcy failed tonotice that she and Jane were not the only cafe patrons that were frozen; the entire restaurant was equally immobile.

 _"Fuck!"_ Darcy swore to herself as Loki eyed Jane up and down. _"Think, Darcy, think! How the hell do I get us out of this mess?"_ Despite wracking her brain feverishly, no brilliant plan presented itself before Loki spoke again. 

The god spared her an amused glance before turning back to Jane. “Bide your tongue, mortal, before I muzzle it," he began, dismissing Darcy with a threat that fell smoothly from honeyed lips. “I merely wanted to meet for myself the Midgardian that has my dear Prince so enraptured.” His assessing gaze turned into a sneer as he took in Jane, who was wearing her usual plaid button down and worn jeans with frayed hems. “I see nothing particularly special about you, woman. How did you manage to ensnare the blonde dolt? You have no particular feminine charms or appeal, and though you claim the pursuit of knowledge, your people are so primitive that any intellect you may posses is laughable next to that of an Asgardian woman who can claim both beauty and wit. So I ask again, what interest are you to him?” 

Loki cocked his head at her, genuinely curious. Jane had remained silent until now, her eyes narrowed as she observed everything that was happening. She'd noticed when the entire cafe was caught in Loki's … whatever that was. A small portion of her mind began extrapolating the data into possible theories, but she knew that now was no time to fall down that rabbit hole and focused all of her attention back on the trickster god now looming over her, spitting insults like a forked tongue. If she could have moved, she would have lifted her chin and arched a brow before she spoke.

“What I am to Thor is between he and I alone, and therefore is none of your concern,” she answered primly, completely ignoring the liesmith's barbs. She refused to admit that they had found their mark and stung bitterly, echoes as they were of the fears and worries that she wept into her pillow at night.

Loki's eye's narrowed and he opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Darcy's low snarl.

 _"No one talks to Jane like that,"_ Darcy thought to herself before tearing into the god, her seething rage making her fearless. 

“Oh Loki, God of Lies, the lesser brother of Thor,” She began, her voice almost breathless. “Couldn't even match him in a fair fight, you had to wait until he was powered down and mortal before you dared try to take him on. And that Transformer? Come on, that thing was so big it **had** to be compensating for something and, oh, guess what: Thor still found a way to beat you. Thor regained his Godhood by being a better man than you could ever be. You could never earn what he has already received and now, here you are, sniffing around his girlfriend- what's the matter, Loki? Can't get a girl on your own? Let me guess, the Lady Sif and all the other Asgardian women can clearly tell that you're nothing but an also-ran and--”

Loki cut her off with a wave of his hand; her lips formed words but no sound emerged.

“ _That. Is. **Enough!**_ ” He snarled, his ashen face now flushed with rage, his strange blue eyes nearly incandescent with power. “Mewling quim. I warned you what would happen if you failed to respect me, little bitch. So eager to leap to your companion's defense, again, what has she done to deserve such loyalty?” He looked to Jane, who stared at him with growing horror. 

“Please,” she said, her eyes wide with fear, trying to prevent Loki's wrathful retribution; Jane had also read her mythology books. “Please, she's just trying to protect me, she's young, and so much weaker than you, please... just don't hurt her...”

“Protect you,” Loki scoffs. “In the future, I suggest you spend more time training your guard dogs to heel.” He looked at Darcy, still locked in place by his spell, but he could feel her practically vibrating with fury and a sudden idea came to him. "In fact, why don't I make it easier for her guard you?" 

His lips curved in a wicked smile, the Trickster reached out and ran his hand across the crown of Darcy's head, like he would pet a dog. Beneath his palm, her dark curls seemed to ripple and, as Loki and Jane watched, flow down the young woman's frame and relpaced her loose sweater and jeans with dark fur the color of her hair. Darcy's body seemed to shift somehow and, in the space between two breaths, where 24 year -old Darcy Lewis had been sitting, legs and arms prepped to slide out of the booth, was crouched a large dark brown dog, mouth pulled up in a silent snarl. The only indication that the animal had once been Jane's intern were the dark-blue color of it's eyes and the slight curls evident throughout it's chocolate fur.

Jane gasped in horror. “Loki, what have you done?!”  


The God of Lies threw his head back and laughed, his mirth only increasing as Darcy realized what had happened and her blue eyes filled with fear. _"Oh, God, oh, Thor, what...I don't..."_ As her mind began to babble with shock and panic, Loki released the ward on her voice to let her high pitched whine fill the frozen cafe.

“Loki!” Jane demanded, her eyes focused on her friend's now cowering form, “Change her back! Whatever you've done, you need to fix it! _Change her **back**_!”

Jane's voice had risen until her tone was nearly a shriek. Her chest heaved and tears streamed down her face; she couldn't wipe them away while still trapped as Loki's prisoner. Jane was afraid. No, not just afraid, she was terrified, just as she had been back in Puente Antiguo. Once again, Loki had attacked innocent people and there was absolutely nothing Jane could do to stop him. Only now there was no one to fight him for her.  
Loki reached out and cupped her face with his palm, wiping away her tears with his thumb. His smile was cruel as he gazed down at her.

“Please, Loki...” Jane all but whispered, all pride forgotten in her begging.

The god shook his head slowly. “No,” he said, just as softly as she. “No, I don't think I will. As admittedly appealing you do look right now, I think I will leave her just the way she is. This is your fault, Jane Foster. Look at her, “ he turned her chin so that she couldn't help but see her friend, who gazed back through scared eyes. “Every day you will look at her, your friend, your stupidly brave and _terribly young_ friend, and you will know that she is stuck thus because of _you_.”

He released Jane and turned to exit the cafe, pleased with his handiwork. The little bell jingled as he opened the door; he paused with one hand on the handle and called over his shoulder, “I do hope that she proves to be a better guardian now than she was before. I'm sure that Prince Thor would be quite upset should something happen to you...” 

There was another flash of that cold, cruel smile and then he was gone. In his wake, the sounds of the cafe resumed: the lady stirred her soup, the young man finished his phone conversation, and so on. Jane and Darcy could move again and Darcy instantly slumped in the booth, her entire body trembling. Jane hurried around the booth and didn't even hesitate before pulling the dog, _Darcy_ , into her arms. 

“I'm so sorry, Darcy, I'm so, so sorry...” The older woman murmured, her voice thick with tears as she stroked the soft brown fur on her friend's back. Jane had all but dragged Darcy into her lap, burying her face against soft fur. Darcy wished she could reassure Jane in return. _"I'm still here,"_ Darcy thought furiously. _"I'm still me, still alive, and that's_ something _, isn't it?"_ They stayed that way for a long minute before Jane finally sniffed and sat up, though her hands never stopped petting her friend. 

“Come on, Darce. Let's... let's get out of here, huh? Go back to the lab, I'm sure I can figure something out, I'll take care of you...” The scientist trailed off as Darcy looked up at her sadly, but licked her hand lightly in agreement. _"I just have to show her that I'm ok,"_ Darcy thought. 

Jane slid out of the booth; Darcy clumsily hopped down and waited, leaning heavily into Jane's legs as she cleared away the trash. Once that was done, Jane opened the door for Darcy and the pair began to make their way back to the lab.

 _"It's going to be ok,"_ Darcy told herself. _"It will. It has to be... it's just one of Loki's tricks, it'll wear off..."_ Thus her thoughts continued as she blindly followed Jane on unsteady legs, too shocked to really pay attention to anything going on around her.

  


After a moment, the young man who'd been on the phone also cleared away his trash and left the cafe, following in the doctor's wake.

_“Field One to Base. Doctor Foster's finished her lunch and is heading back to the lab.”_

_“Base to Field One. Understood. Anything to report?”_

_“Field One to Base. A man tried to pet her dog and she yelled at him for it but that's all. Nothing else to report.”_

_“Copy that Field One. Base out.”_


End file.
